Strip Method

A few stages of hair transplant surgery using the strip method are demonstrated below.

1. Cutting out of the pilary strip

Hairs for transplant are extracted from the donor zone on the back of the patient's head in the form of pilary strips of skin.

Local anesthesia is applied to the donor zone, then the hair on the area is carefully cut.

Then the surgeon cuts a pilary strip of a desired size from the donor zone:

2. Stitching of the donor zone

After the strip is removed, the surgeon carefully seals the donor zone with degradable stitched. The process is carried out with the utmost precision and care to ensure that scarring is kept to a minimum:

Within a year the scar becomes a very slightly built strip, invisible even in the case of a very short haircut. This is how the stitching appears just after the donor zone is closed:

3. Graft processing

You can also watch video of grafts processing.

After the donor material is extracted, a team of assistants consisting of 6–12 persons (depending the scale of the surgery) processes the material, dividing it into separate follicular units – grafts:

The lead assistant divides the strip into small parts which will then be processed by other assistants afterwards:

Separate grafts are obtained from these small parts of skin. These grafts are then stored in special containers filled with saline solution:

The grafts are then stored in their containers in a refrigerator at a temperature of 4°C:

4. Pore opening

You can also watch video of pores making process.

Meanwhile the surgeon begins opening the pores on the patient’s head after having preliminarily injected an anesthetic solution into the recipient area:

The surgeon opens all the pores necessary for the transplant in advance in order to reduce the time of the next stage of surgery:

The pores are opened using special tools with very thin blades and a limited length that protects the recipient area from an excessive trauma and aids the skin's recovery:

The number of pores opened is counted by a specialized device in real time enabling the patient to view the how the procedure is progressing:

After opening the necessary number of pores the surgery moves through to the last stage:

5. Graft implantation

You can also watch video of grafts implantation.

In the last stage of the surgery, assistants fill the newly opened pores with the grafts:

The process is conducted by 3–5 assistants greatly reducing the duration of the surgery. The assistants handle the grafts very carefully with the use of special micro tools and magnifying equipment, to ensure that the grafts are transplanted intact. Thus the maximal survivability of grafts is ensured:

6. Following the transplant

On completion of the surgery the patient can go home alone. He suffers no pain or loss of circulation after the anesthetic has worn off. There is also no need to take any further medication. This is the appearance of the patient's head looks immediately following the hair transplant:

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